Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Tuesday's Storms

Tuesday afternoon brought another scattering of showers and thunderstorms across central and eastern North Carolina. Our weather was influenced by an area of low pressure in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere. One way to think of this is an area of cool air in the mid to upper levels of the atmosphere. As the sun came out Tuesday morning and midday, it helped to heat the surface. The cooler air located above the warmer surface created instability and that aided in the formation of storms.

That cooler air aloft also created lower freezing levels, which means it's a little easier for hail to form in thunderstorms. We did hear several reports of hail across the region. Here's a look at some of the storm reports from around the News 14 Carolina viewing area --

3;30pm -- Penny size hail reported by the public west-northwest of Youngsville in Franklin County

3:45pm -- Marble size hail reported by a trained spotter near the intersection of Garret and Old Chapel Hill Road in Durham

4:13pm -- Dime size hail reported by the Franklin County Police Department just west of Louisburg

4:17pm -- Golf ball size hail reported by law enforcement 2 miles northeast of Louisburg in Franklin County

4:25pm -- Penny size hail reported by a trained storm spotter near I-85 and US Highway 158 in Granville County

4:30pm -- Penny size hail reported by the public near New Hill in Wake County

4:50pm -- Pea size hail reported in Raven Rock State Park in Harnett County by a park employee

4:54pm -- Penny size hail reported by a trained storm spotter near the intersection of US 64 and Rolesville Road in Wake County near Wendell

5:21pm -- Pea size hail reported by law enforcement near the junction of NC Highway 42 and US Highway 70 in Clayton in Johnston County

5:23pm -- Penny size hail reported by the public near Clayton in Johnston County

5:25pm -- Penny size hail reported by law enforcement near the I-85 and I-40 split in Orange County

If you have pictures of the Tuesday's hail storms, you can share them with us by e-mailing them to weather@news14.com

We should get a break from the afternoon showers and storms on Wednesday. However, scattered afternoon thunderstorms should return for Thursday. We'll keep you posted on Thursday's thunderstorm chance on News 14 Carolina.